The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-04-09
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Ark Of Safety.

following, recently, in Des Monies. Ia,
taking for his text:--"Come thou and all
Thy house into the ark. ~ Genesis, vii, l..
We do not need the Bible 10 prove
the Deluge. The biologists hammer
announces II. Sea shells and marine
formations on the top of some of the
highest mountains OF the earth prove
that at some time the waters washed
over the top of the Alps and the
Andes. In what way the catastrophe
came, we know whether by the
stroke of comet, or by flashes of
lightning changing the air into water,
or by stroke of the hand of God,
like the stroke of the axe between the
horns Of the OK, the earth staggered.
To meet the catastrophe, God ordered
a great ship built. IL was to be with
out PROV, for II was TO sail TO no shore.
II was 10 be without helm, for no
human hand should guide II. 1t was
vast structure, probably as large as
two or three Cunard steamers. IL was
the Great Eastern of olden time. The
ship Is done. The door is open. The
lizards crawl in. The cattle walk tn.
The grasshoppers hop In. The birds
fly in. The invitation goes forth To
Noah:
Come thou and all thy house into the ARK.
Just one human family embark on
the strange voyage, and hear the
door slam shut. "A great storm sweeps
along the hills and bends the cedars
.ntil all the branches snap in the gale.
There is moan in the wind like unto
the moan of dying world. The black
ness Of the heavens is shattered by the
glare of the lightnings, that look down
into the waters, and throw ghastli-
ness on the face of the mountains.
How strange IL looks! How fuffoca-
ting the air seemsl The big drops Of
rain splash upon the upturned faces of
those who are watching the tempest.
Crash go the rocks in convulsion.
Dooml go the bursting heavens. The
inhabitants of the earth, instead of
fleeing to house-top and nountain-top,
as men have fancied, sit dowE In dumb,
white horror 20 die. For when God
grinds mountains to pieces, and lets
the ocean slip its cable, there is no
place for men 10 fly TO. See the ark
pitch and tumble in the surf: while
from its windows the passengers look
out upon the shipwreck of race and
the carcasses of a dead world. Woe
60 the mountainsl Woe to the seal
Il am no alarmist When, on the
Goth OF September, after the wind has
.or three days been blowing from the
northeast, you prophesy that the equi-
noctial storm is coming, you simply
state fact not 10 be disputed. Mel
ther am | an alarmist when / say that
storm is coming, compared with
which Noah's deluge was but an April
shower; and thaC il is the wisest and
safest for you and for me 10 get safely
housed for eternity. The invitation
that went forth TO Noah sounds in our
ears:
Come thou and all thy house into The ark
Wen, how did Noah and his family
come into the arkg Did they climb ia
at the window, or come down the roof?
No; they went through the door.
And just SO, il we get into the ark of
Gods mercy, IL will be through Christ,
old must have been very large
entrance. We know that il was, from
the fact that there were monster
animals in the earlier ages; and, in
order 20 get them into the ark two and
two, according TO the Bible statement,
The door must have been very wide
and very high SO the door into the
mercy of God is large door. We go
IN, not two by two, but by hundreds,
and by thousands, and by millions.
Yes, all the nations of the earth may
So IN. 100000 abreast.
IL ia wide door. The old cross has
been taken apart, and its two pieces
are stood up for the door posts, so far
apart that all the world can come in.
Kings scatter treasures on days OF
great rejoicing. SO Christ, our King,
comes and scatters the jewels of
heaven.
Rowland Hill, after having preached
the gospel in Surrey Chapel, going up
toward heaven, the gate keeper cried
Lift up your heads, We everlasting
gates, and let this man come i'm
The dying thief went in. Richard
Daxter and Robert Newton went In.
Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South
America, may yet 90 through this
wide door without crowding. Ho,
every onol all conditions. all ranks,
all peoplesl
Luther said that this truth was
worth carrying on ones knees from
Rome 20 Jerusalem; but | think IL